It’s Not Too Late To Apply For Financial Aid!

The New Year is here! This time of year, many people decide to make resolutions. If you’re a senior in high school (or a current college student), it’s not too late to make a resolution to file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so you can access grants (free money), work-study (usually on-campus jobs to help pay for school), and federal student loans (money that you have to pay back with interest). You will file the FAFSA every year you are in college. And even if you don’t plan to attend college right after high school (military, Peace Corps, or religious mission), it’s still a good idea to file your FAFSA your senior year of high school.

Start the year off right and get filing the FAFSA checked off of your resolution list. Here’s a list of steps to help you file your FAFSA…

We still have a few StepUp FAFSA Completion Open Houses scheduled through the beginning of the year. Check out our calendar to see an event near you. At these events, you can get help from StepUp’s Paying for College Experts to file your FAFSA in about 30 minutes! If you have already filed your FAFSA but have a question (or several), you can also come get expert advice.

Both the student and one parent will need FSA IDs. Students should use their own permanent email address (not a parent’s email or school email) because they will use this FSA ID every year that they are in college. Parents should use their own permanent email address (not their student’s). The FSA ID acts as a digital signature and is the way that students and parents can import their tax information from the IRS. Students should create their own FSA ID and parents should create their own as well! Don’t make one for each other!

Make sure that you file your FAFSA at FAFSA.gov and that you never pay to file. Filing the FAFSA is always free! Go through the questions carefully. On the right hand side of the FAFSA website, you will notice that there is a dynamic “Tool Tips” section that will help you answer the questions appropriately. Some of the questions can be tricky, so make sure that you read everything carefully! You can also download the “myStudentAid” app on your smartphone to complete the FAFSA.